History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c3.8

v1.c3.8

Now we yield to none in our conviction that Ahimsā is one of the few highest principles which the Indian Aryans in their spiritual progress have evolved. As we have said in this volume, there is no example in the history of the world of a great people having given up animal food in the pursuit of a high spiritual ideal, involving the loss of so valuable a possession as political independence. The beneficial influence of Buddhism and Jainism cannot but be acknowledged in stopping animal sacrifices in this country. And if we cannot sacrifice animals to propitiate the deity, we cannot, religiously speaking, partake of animal food. The position which Jainism has taken in this respect is the only logical one and Max Muller has properly complimented Indian thinkers on their fearlessness in taking up the position at which they logically arrive. It would, therefore, be both illogical and unspiritual for us to recommend animal food much more animal sacrifices. The Vedas again do not prescribe animal sacrifices only and we can still retain our allegience to the Vedas if we make inanimate offerings to the Vedic deities in the sacrificial fire. We need not, therefore, recede from the high spiritual position at which we in our evolution have arrived. Especially, the Hindus including the Sikhs will never countenance the slaughter of cows which have been sacred to them even from Vedic times and which have become still more sacred in consequence of their association with Shri Krishna. But what we have to emphasize here is that the people of this country have as a matter of history lost their political independence, to a large extent, because of their having given up animal food in obedience to their higher spiritual aspirations. The political danger involved in this change of the food of the majority of the people was not foreseen and as we shall see in our third volume no conscious effort was made to counteract the evil resulting from the change. For, as we have said in the body of the book, we believe that even a non-flesheating people can hold their own in the struggle of nations, if they are inured to arms and lead an abstemious life. Such unfortunately ceased to be the case during the 12th and 13th centuries, and India fell an easy prey to the inroads of the more ferocious and sturdy flesh-eating peoples of the north.